The Chicago Bears 2017 draft class got railroaded from all sides last May. Almost to the point many people were laughing at it. An inexperienced quarterback from a primarily basketball school? A tight end from a small school who started his career in basketball? A safety coming off a broken leg and a running back who could cosplay R2-D2? There was no way this bunch could do anything except get GM Ryan Pace fired.
Well he who lasts laugh as the saying goes. Despite the Bears finishing 5-11 on the year, their draft class actually carried them to a majority of those victories. This despite atrocious coaching at times that failed to get them in the proper position for success. That’s why head coach John Fox was fired and Matt Nagy replaced him.
The lingering question is did this group of characters make believers out of anybody? Yes, as it turns out. Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com graded the 2017 draft class for every team in the league going by division. How did the Bears stack up against the rest of the NFC North?
Chicago Bears 2017 draft class ties for best grade in division
As it turns out Bergman came away impressed with what they did. While it wasn’t a smashing success like some of the other classes, the Bears did the job. They ended up tying Minnesota for the highest grade in the division.
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“Trading up one spot to draft Trubisky — and letting go of three mid-round picks in the process — was a risk, but one worth taking in retrospect. Trubisky is a work in progress, but under the tutelage of Matt Nagy and Mark Helfrich, the QB can aspire to a sophomore surge, a la Jared Goff in L.A.
Chicago made the most of the few other selections it possessed, hauling two great athletes in Jackson and Cohen, the latter of whom was an immediate game-breaker. Jackson and Adrian Amos will give the Windy City a top-five safety tandem in years to come. Chicago needs to utilize Shaheen more to justify a higher draft grade; the tight end caught just 12 passes in 13 games despite Zach Miller missing half the season. GRADE: B+”
It’s hard to figure out how Minnesota got such a good grade considering most of their picks never truly flashed. Alas, that’s the value of winning in the NFL. What the Bears did comes across as more impressive. They made just five picks total for that draft. Yet combined four of them started 29 games. The Vikings made 11 picks and got 28 starts from theirs. So Chicago got considerably more bang for their buck.
Then again we’re biased.
